Deviation Actions
Description
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Edit: Gave Ixx's nose the wrong color. Fix'd!
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Nauxis fluttered into the next room and immediately felt a gratifying warmth envelope him. It seemed as if the bitter cold that plagued the previous space did not extend beyond the dividing doorway, a bizarre anomaly that was not too unusual for most dungeons. The flying type pokemon took a brief moment to enjoy the chill being wiped from his bones before scanning his surroundings.
Besides the sharp change in temperature, the room itself displayed a remarkable change in geological structure. There was still plenty of basalt as far as the eye could see, but it was arranged much differently compared to the room prior. No rocky shelves lined the walls, supported by stone spires of various heights. In fact, it was difficult to see much of the outer walls from Nauxis’ point of view. The entire cavern was populated with columns of basalt that extended from the floor all the way to the ceiling high above. Both the thicknesses of each column and the amount of space between them seemed to be entirely random, though no two pillars touched each other directly. The surfaces of the columns themselves appeared to be smooth as glass, as they gave off a silky sheen in the cavern’s pale lighting. On that note, the room seemed to be considerably well lit, despite there being no apparent source of the illumination.
Worried that he would have to search through the maze of basalt columns, Nauxis was slightly relived when he saw his target nearby. Ixx had only made it a short ways into the room. He appeared to be examining one of the broader pillars in great detail; the shinx was running his paws over its smooth surface, stopping occasionally peer at anything that caught his attention. His animosity renewed, Nauxis flew directly at the preoccupied pokemon. He heard Ixx speaking out load as he approached.
“…see, if you look closely at the pillar here, you can see some small nozzles jutting out from the surface. They line the pillar up and down a fair ways.” The shinx stood from his crouched position of the pillar and stretched his back. “We’re probably dealing with an ember trap this time.”
“Ixx!!” shouted Nauxis as he drew up to the feline. “Ixx, I need you back in that room immediately!”
Ixx’s ears twitched at the tiny bird’s loud exclamation. He turned to find the natu hovering a few feet in front of him. He frowned at his suggestion.
“What? Why? I thought you two wanted to-…wait.” Ixx craned his head around Nauxis and looked behind him. “Where are Yeaf and…uh, that kid? Shawn?”
“Back in the entryway, right where you left them!” growled Nauxis. “My partner has been incapacitated because of your words! I demand that you return to him and repair the damage you have done!”
Ixx’s jaw hung askance, utterly confused by the natu’s claim. “What? Your partne- how?! What could I possibly have said that-“
“Your incessant remarks of the traps in this dungeon!” interrupted Nauxis, his fury building. “You went too far with your statement regarding cave-ins!”
It was Ixx’s turn to show frustration. He raised his voice to match Nauxis’ and waved his arms in exasperation. “What, are you talking about my comment about being buried alive? I said there’s nothing to worry about if you just stick with me! Besides, if he’s so scared about cave-ins, then he really shouldn’t even be here!”
That was it. Something snapped within Nauxis. His rage overflowed and suddenly the only thing he could see was the shinx before him. Even when his brain registered movement in the background out of the corner of his eye, his attention was only on the offending pokemon before him. The enraged natu shot forward and halted only inches in front of the shinx’s face, causing Ixx to flinch backward in alarm.
“SHAWN’S MOTHER PERISHED AS A RESULT OF A DUNGEON CAVE-IN!!” shouted Nauxis. The loud echoes that ricocheted through the cavern only bolstered his presence. “He watched it happen while she herself was buried alive right in front of his eyes!! The last image that boy has of his mother is of her remains; crushed and suffocated beneath a mountain of stone and failed masonry!!”
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Yeaf sat herself down in front of the inert dewott. As she fluffed up her mane to help ward off the effects of the frigid dungeon lobby, she wondered what she was supposed to do to help resolve this situation. She was just about at loss for words as the young pokemon before her. She watched him tremble for a few seconds before speaking up.
“Hey…uh…” she paused to recollect the dewott’s name in her mind. “Shawn? Are you ok?”
The dewott mumbled something inaudible. His rocking motion had stopped and he didn’t seem to be clenching his jaw as tightly as he had previously. Encourage, Yeaf spoke again.
“Are you cold? Or maybe you need some water? Maybe I could go outside and ask Luke for some-“
“I-I’m ok.”
“Huh?”
Yeaf’s ears perked when she heard the dewott speak out loud. Looking closer, Shawn had opened his eyes and was staring back at her apologetically. He was still shaking a little, and there was still some lack of color in his face, but he appeared to be much calmer than he was a moment before.
“Er, are you sure?” Yeaf asked.
“Y-yeah,” Shawn stammered. “I just…I just need a second.”
“Ok…if you say so?” said the eevee, not completely convinced. “I don’t know, you don’t look all that well to me. What happened to you, anyway? What made you like…this?”
“I…” Shawn hesitated. “I was just r-reminded of something I don’t like remembering, I guess. About something that happened a while back. I hadn’t thought about it for a while…a-and when the memories came back, I guess it kind of caught me off guard.” He sniffed and showed a little smile. “I guess I kinda froze up, huh?”
“You could say that,” said Yeaf tentatively. She then gasped as something dawned on her. “Oh! It was something Ixx said, wasn’t it? I’m so sorry if he said something to hurt you!”
“N-no! No no no, it’s not his fault!” Shawn unclasped his arms and frantically waved his palms in front of him, trying to wave away Yeaf’s concern. “This sorta used to happen a lot anyway, so it’s no big deal! I’ve been getting a lot better thanks to Nauxis’ help, honest! He’s been really great to me, and it doesn’t hurt too much when I think about it now! I promise, I’ll be fine from now on. Cross my heart!”
“Ok ok, I believe you! Don’t worry, I won’t give Ixx too bad a time about it!” Yeaf gave a warm smile. “But I’m glad you’re feeling better! I’m sure your partner will be happy to see you back on your feet too!”
“Oh! That’s right!” Shawn unsteadily moved his feet beneath him to stand up. Once upright, he breathed warm air into his closed fists and rapidly rubbed feeling back into his arms. “Nauxis must be really worried about me! Did he and Ixx go on already?”
“Yes, but they shouldn’t be too far ahead.” The eevee stood up and stretched her limbs. “Nauxis followed Ixx through the door when he noticed he was gone. Shall we catch up with them?”
“Yeah, I think I’m ready. Let’s go!”
Shawn and Yeaf turned marched forward toward the door, eager to escape from the cold. They drew up short, however, when they noticed something unexpected in their chosen exit portal.
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When the deafening reverberations dwindled away, nothing remained but silence. Ixx blanched at Nauxis’ outburst, finding himself at a complete loss of words. He was as still as the basalt pillars that surrounded him. Many seconds passed, each one as long as an eternity, before either of them spoke.
When Ixx finally found his voice, it was quiet and disbelieving. “…what? Are you serious?”
The cavern resounded with Nauxis’ shouts once more. “I couldn’t possibly be more serious!! It took me years to restore Shawn’s self-confidence to where it is now! I can’t believe you would so casually destroy Shawn’s fortitude and my efforts with your flippant remarks!”
“H-hey! Look, I’m sorry, honestly!” cried Ixx. He stood his ground firmly, yet his demeanor was clearly apologetic. “I didn't mean to hurt Shawn or anyone! We just met, I couldn't possibly know anything I said would do that kind of damage! I wouldn't have said anything if I knew! Believe me, I’m really sorry!”
“I-! You…!” Nauxis sputtered. The natu was apparently struggling with his anger. “Argh…! Excuse me a moment!”
The tiny bird abruptly folded his wings fell to the floor, bouncing to a halt. He then scrunched his eyes closed and didn’t say another word.
Ixx stared at the grounded Nauxis, baffled by his unceremonious silence. Just as he was about to speak up and voice his concerns, he noticed a faint purple glow emanating from the natu. As the shinx watched the deep lines from the bird pokemon’s furrowed brow lessened and grew more relaxed. Ixx stood there awkwardly, waiting for Nauxis to finish…whatever he was doing.
After a minute had passed, the glow around Nauxis ceased and he opened his eyes again. He gave a long and steady sigh before turning to look up at Ixx. When he spoke, it was with a calm and tranquil voice.
“I’m sorry, I desperately needed a calm mind before continuing my conversation with you. I think I have found peace for the moment.” Nauxis inhaled and exhaled once more. “You are right, Ixx. You couldn’t have known, and I had no reason to lose my temper because of that. I apologize as well. I know you didn’t mean to do any harm.”
“Oh, uh…thanks. I appreciate that,” Ixx said as the tension left his body. He knelt down to the natu’s level and spoke with sincerity. “I know I said this already, but I’m sorry too. I’d like to go back and smooth things over with the kid, if you’ll allow it.”
“I was hoping you would offer,” nodded Nauxis. “I think your consolation will help a great deal in this occasion. Shall we return to the room prior?”
“Yeah, that’s fine with me. Let’s go and…huh.”
Ixx stood back up and looked back toward the door they came through. He then frowned and looked back down at the Natu.
“Uh, Nauxis? Did you close the door on your way in?”
Perplexed, Nauxis performed a flutter hop to turn around. To his surprise, the assertion suggestion by Ixx’s question proved to be true. The door they had both traversed to reach this cavern had completely closed, blocking their view of the room beyond.
“No,” Nauxis responded gravely. “No I did not.”
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Whew, that written segment wound up being a little bit longer than I had originally planned. I think I managed to weave the character interactions the way I wanted to.
For those not familiar with Team Troubled Water's history, the event Nauxis is referring to was shown in my M5 comic way back in PMD-E. It goes without saying that those were not the happiest of times.
Cameos:
's Ixx and Yeaf from Team Valor
